Soyuz, with first Galileo satellites, launched

Oct 21, 2011 - 04:43

The launch is the first by the rocket beyond Russia&#039;s historic bases. PHOTO/ AFP

KOUROU, French Guiana, Oct 21, 2011 (AFP) - A Soyuz rocket lifted off on Friday on its maiden flight from Europe's space base here, carrying the first two satellites in the Galileo geopositioning system, an AFP reporter saw.

The
launch -- the first by the veteran rocket beyond Russia's historic
bases at Plesetsk and Baikonur -- is part of a commercial deal struck in
2003 to extend the range of Arianespace, which markets services from
the European Space Agency (ESA) base in Kourou.

The
5.4-billion-euro (7.2-billion-dollar) Galileo project is designed to
comprise 27 operational satellites and three spares by its completion in
2020.

It should give geopositioning accuracy to within a metre
(3.25 feet), whereas the US Global Positioning System (GPS) is currently
accurate to between three and eight metres (10 and 26 feet), according
to official websites.

After a nine-minute flight through Earth's
atmosphere, the Soyuz's final stage, the Fregat, was to propel the
satellites on a three-hour flight toward their orbital slot.